Following up on a big print reveal last week, Famitsu.com came through today with first online screens of Final Fantasy XIII's new playable character, Hope Estheim. He's pictured here:

If you played the Final Fantasy XIII demo that was included with the Advent Children Blu-ray release, you might recognize Hope. Actually, you probably won't, as he was all robed up in the demo. Hope is the son of the lady (I believe "Sugar Tits" in IGN's localization) who accepts Snow's call to arms, then ends up falling to presumably her death as the demo comes to a close.

Hope is a 14-year-old boy who lead an extremely normal life in Cocoon. However, he lost his mom in a fight against Cocoon's ruling Holy Government, and now he resents Snow, who got his mom involved in the fight.

Second Set of Screens

All five of the Final Fantasy XIII party members introduced so far are l'Cie, which you'll recall are chosen by fal'Cie for a special purpose. Apparently, Hope became a l'Cie at the same time as Lightning and crew.

The pic of Sazh shows the character's l'Cie symbol on his chest, sticking out of his shirt. All l'Cie have such a symbol somewhere on their body.

Third Set of Screens

The l'Cie apparently have to finish their mission in a set time. If they don't finish their mission, they get turned into a zombie-like undead monster known as a "Shi-kai." Examples of these monsters are shown in the top pic in this set. The Shi-kai monsters have some resemblance to their human form, but they lack any sort of feeling.

First Battle Shot

This pic shows Lightning performing a new "Area Blast" skill, which can strike multiple enemies.

Second Battle Shot

Hope uses a boomerang as his weapon. But not just any boomerang. Once thrown, Hope can hold his hand up towards an enemy, and the boomerang will follow up with multiple attacks against the enemy.

Third Battle Shot

Vanille's weapon is normally folded up. But during battle, it takes the form of "deer antlers." At its end are four wires which are used to strike enemies from a distance. The wires have needles on their end which pull at the enemy, dealing damage (shudder)

The Famitsu.com text notes that Hope and Vanille use long distance attacks and should probably be positioned distant from opponents during battle.

Fourth Battle Shot

Joining the fire and blizzard magics that were in the demo, FFXIII also has support magic. Faith, which Famitsu.com says has appeared in three past titles, can be used to increase your magic power. Protect can be used to increase defensive strength.